There are many different types of residential building, commercial building, and other door applications in need of doors that open and close. Doors most often being used are hinged doors, sliding doors, bi-fold doors, folding doors, and pocket doors. These doors usually have advantages and disadvantages depending on the doorway size and door locations and applications. Often the selection of the door for a specific application is a compromise resulting in disadvantages in its use for said application. As a result, the available ideal door for a specific application is often an unattainable goal.
Single hinged doors traditionally require swing room approximately equal to the width of the individual door and then requires the same amount of wall space if the door is to be sometimes left in the open position and out of the way on one side of the doorway. In the case of a double hinged door, the same amount of swing room and wall space is required on both sides of the doorway because two doors are used one opening from the center of the doorway to the left and one opening from the center of the doorway to the right. In addition, the wall space used with the door left in the open position often creates access problems for light switches and receptacles, plumbing fixtures, and restricts the wall area for furniture use. Also the wider the door the greater the tendency for the door to sag over time due to the weight of the door protruding out so far from the vertical hinge side, often the only means of support. Extremely wide swing doors are often not used for wide door openings such as room dividers because of the impractical large swing radius area and the wall space consumed when the door is left open.
Further, single hinged doors are commonly wider if the doorway is used frequently by individuals confined to wheelchairs. Commercial building codes often mandate wider doors for this reason. However, wider doors create a environment whereby the wheelchair user can pass through the doorway easier but opening and closing the door is more difficult. A wider door with a wider swing radius requires a wheelchair user to pull up to the closed door close enough to grasp the door handle, and then because of the wider door width, he or she must back the wheelchair while pulling the door open and must keep the wheelchair out of the swing radius area as the door opens. Once the door is open, they must move forward again and pull the wide door closed. A similar procedure must be followed in the opposite direction except the door is pushed open and then when closing the door the wheelchair must be kept out of the swing area. This is inconvenient and requires a coordination level that many persons in wheelchairs lack due to their physical, mental or age conditions. Also, hinged doors made of wood often experience material expansion during periods of high humidity resulting in doors that stick or fail to close completely.
The traditional bi-fold door can be hinged on both sides of the inside bi-fold door panel connected to the vertical door frame with the outer panel running inside a non-weight bearing track mounted at the top of the doorway. The track provides alignment during opening and closing of the door panels and when the door is open and closed. However, with traditional interior bi-fold doors, support for all of the door collective panel weight is on the vertical hinges connected to the door jambs. Wide bi-fold doors therefore over time have a tendency to sag. Other problems with this door design is when the door is open, less than 100% full access through the doorway is achieved because the door is usually mounted inside the doorway and the alignment track restricts the door panels from opening beyond 90 degrees leaving the panels protruding into the room inconveniently in the way. Another problem often experienced is with humidity fluctuations and other causes, the panels don't always meet together at ideal travel distances resulting in the panels leaving gaps between the door panels or not leaving enough space between the door panels so the doors have a tendency to pop open and not remain securely closed. The doors are a compromise also regarding sound pass through due to larger gaps running vertically along the door jambs and horizontally running along the door top and bottom. Bi-fold doors inherently due to the design traditionally tend to run sloppy and this condition usually increases as the doors age.
Sliding doors also have drawbacks. As in the case of most slide-by sliding doors, only ½ of the doorway is accessible with the door open making limited access less than desirable. If the door design allows for sliding all the way open, it usually runs along the outside wall and therefore blocks a corresponding large amount of wall space usually needed for furniture placement and/or blocks electrical switches and receptacles. Large wide sliding doors are usually heavy to operate.
Pocket doors also have limitations. Pocket doors built into the wall construction require inside wall space and therefore eliminates that section of wall for wiring, electrical switches and receptacles and plumbing use. It is also difficult and expensive to install as a retrofit in existing walls. Usually the latch or handle is built into the edge of the door and is flush with the edge of the door making it difficult to grasp the small latch to begin pulling the pocket door out of its wall socket. Pocket doors are also prone to coming off the hanging track. Wider pocket doors experience these problems and difficulties even more.
Folding doors also have limitations. Folding doors are usually not available with standard acceptable door styles that match existing conventional doors allowing users to remain with a selected architectural style within the room or building. Folding doors are usually fabric or narrow hard panels and fold together onto themselves. The main disadvantages is that the door when folded still blocks a portion of the available doorway and has a tendency to “pop open” or at least not remain solidly open or closed. They are often difficult to open and closed especially for handicapped people or children.
It is the purpose of this invention to provide alternate construction doors that address the problems and shortcomings of conventional doors. Specifically, to reduce the swing room of hinged doors especially wide doors so that it is practical to use much wider doors and to use wider doors in restrictive areas whereby it would not be possible with conventional doors and to use a wide door that would open fully in one direction only, either to the right side or to the left side. Further, the new invention door provides for full support regardless as to the wide door width. In addition, this invention will allow doors to be installed where it is desirable to leave them open without blocking a large amount of wall space. Furthermore, its purpose is to have doors of conventional architectural design ultra-wide so that would be practical to use them as combination doors and room dividers up to 18 feet or more. In addition, it is the purpose of this invention to result in doors that are easier for wheelchair users to maneuver through and to solve other problems associated with convention doors such as doors sticking in door frames from wood swelling due to high humidity, sagging doors, and full 100% unrestrictive door opening access especially in wider than normal doors.